The road from a farm outside Eatonia to the doorstep of the CFL isn\u2019t a straight one. It winds through six-a-side football fields, long bus rides, fall afternoons with the Eatonia Spartans, and eventually into the heart of a dynasty with the Saskatoon Hilltops.<\/p>\n
But Friday, that road takes a significant turn for Hilltops\u2019 defensive lineman Johnathon Stevens, who will compete at the CFL\u2019s Invitational Combine in Waterloo, Ontario.\u00a0The first major step toward earning a ticket to the main CFL Combine in Edmonton from March 27 through 29.<\/p>\n
For more than 140 hopefuls, it’s\u00a0about opportunity. For Stevens, it\u2019s the next chapter in an already remarkable small-town football story. Fresh off helping the Hilltops capture another Canadian Bowl, he\u00a0hasn\u2019t slowed down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings have still been very well,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been training a lot, getting ready for the combine, and\u00a0exciting things are coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The invitation is a reward not only for his play but also for his growth and for an off-season that required him to do something unusual for a lifelong athlete: relearn how to run. Stevens trains at Ignite Athletics in Saskatoon, working with Joel Lipinski and staff, whom he credits with reshaping the technical side of his game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve taught me so many little things I didn\u2019t know I was doing wrong,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe tweaks might seem minuscule, but they create such a difference. Football is a game of inches. Same thing here.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of those tweaks?<\/p>\n
\u201cMy footwork. I leaned too far forward and ended up running on my heels. They adjusted my stride so I\u2019m running on the balls of my feet, getting more consistent power and speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The changes came quickly once he embraced the mindset of starting fresh.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to think like you don\u2019t know anything,\u201d he said. \u201cJust listen, they\u2019ve been doing this forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stevens takes pride in his roots, growing up near Eatonia and playing six-a-side football, a version of the game that forces players to do everything. Those reps helped him become the type of athlete who could thrive at the junior level and eventually catch the attention of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.<\/p>\n
Stevens was part of the Riders\u2019 local player program, attending training camp and sticking with the team until the Hilltops season began. That experience, he believes,\u00a0gives him a unique edge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m showcasing not just for them but for everybody in the league,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when I was with the Riders, hearing players talk about their experiences, their combines, their pro days, it was interesting. In my mind,\u00a0I\u2019ve already been part of this league where many guys haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stevens has built a reputation as a selfless, team-first player, something that stands out even in the rugged culture of junior football. So how does he handle an event that is all about individual performance?<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it\u2019s individual, but I wouldn\u2019t be able to get here without the people who helped me \u2014\u00a0Ignite, coach Sarge, the entire Hilltops organization,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0going to try to represent them in a positive light.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stevens won\u2019t reveal all his target numbers for testing, but he knows exactly what he wants to achieve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a few events where I\u2019m like, \u2018This is the number I want to hit or more,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAnd others where if I get just a little better, that zero-point-zero-one seconds can be an eye-opener for teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing is certain: he is ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be phenomenal athletes there, they want this as much as I do. It\u2019ll be great competitors and an amazing time.\u201d<\/p>\n
A small-town Spartan turned national champion, now standing on the verge of a professional football opportunity. As always, Stevens remains grounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever team takes me, if they do, I\u2019d be grateful,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0excited for the chance.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The road from a farm outside Eatonia to the doorstep of the CFL isn\u2019t a straight one. It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":516162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[3878,49,48,521,522,520,3290,4398,27684,27683,1893,4401,27682,4400,4399,82],"class_list":["post-520397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-agriculture","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-contests","tag-country-music","tag-gx94","tag-manitoba-news","tag-radio","tag-rider-radio","tag-saskatchewan-news","tag-saskatchewan-roughriders","tag-saskatchewan-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}